As is known, motor vehicles are provided with a dashboard on which there are an instrument panel, object compartments, and a plurality of air outlet devices configured to supply and direct air into the passenger compartment.
The need is felt for an air outlet device that can be configured in a relatively simple manner to deliver a concentrated air flow or a diffused air flow, according to the needs of the driver and of the passengers.
For that purpose, document GB487023A, which corresponds to the preamble of claim 1, describes an air outlet device having a tapered nozzle that is rotatable, by means of a ball joint, so as to be convergent to or divergent from the passenger compartment and thus generate, respectively, a concentrated or diffused air current. To generate the diffused air current, a mushroom-shaped element is fitted to the widest end of the nozzle to divert the air to the side. Said mushroom-shaped element is also movable along the axis of the nozzle so as to close it.
However, this solution is not very satisfactory, as the mushroom-shaped element obstructs the flow of air that must enter the nozzle in the concentrated air flow configuration, or the flow of air that must flow out of the nozzle in the diffused air flow configuration. Moreover, rotating the nozzle in the ball joint by 180° to obtain the two configurations is rather complicated.